Wakefield- La Pêche Community Centre

This 16,000 square foot building includes a Great Hall that accommodates community gatherings and a theatre; a library; and a youth centre. Designed with nature in mind, the building takes advantage of vistas to the surrounding forest and river valley.

The building massing and design is designed by its three spaces; the Great Hall, the Library, and the Youth Centre. Centrally located within the Community Centre, a Main Lobby featuring an exposed wood structure provides a bright, open entry space linking the Library and Great Hall to various multi-purpose rooms. The Lobby functions as an open gathering space for receptions, theatre intermissions, or other community activities. Secondary spaces are organized around these three large spaces and will be clad on the exterior with horizontal wood siding, giving these volumes an inviting scale when seen from the surrounding site.

The design of the interior finishes of the Lobby and three main spaces to a large extent use wood cladding on both ceilings and walls. Walls in these areas continue the exterior siding finish of the exterior into the interior, with plywood finishes used for cabinetry and isolated architectural elements. The Great Hall, Library, and Youth Centre have a suspended wood slat acoustic ceiling with plywood areas over some seating and reading areas. A heavy timber roof structure in the Lobby remains exposed to celebrate the space and supporting structure above.

Flooring in the majority of the building consists of exposed polished concrete. The Great Hall has a wood floor, designed to meet the requirements for both theatre and sporting activities.

Landscaping features native planting requiring little or no irrigation, and supports the character of its surroundings. Storm water collection from roofs and hard surfaces is channeled to a retention pond which collects and filters rain water on site.

The super-insulated and air-tight building incorporates many energy efficient systems including a groundsource HVAC system, windows that are oriented to maximize passive solar heat gain, low flow water fixtures, and low energy consumption light fixtures.